Life doesn't get any better than this!!

Good Morning Blog friends

Just a quick one from me today, its challenge day over at Creative Craft Challenges so just to remind you all to get on over there because we're going all patriotic with red, white and blue.  Its not my turn for this challenge and thank goodness for that 'cos here I am on me jollies in Florida.  I had a real card making marathon before I  came away but still didn't quite make all the cards I needed - only so many hours in the day.  DT girls at CCC had some great images to play with from our sponsors Our sponsors for this challenge are

Who are offering a lovely little selection of goodies

and

Who are providing some great digi images

I had even got as far as printing one out as I thought it would make a great bookmark for my lazing around this week (makes a change from the boarding card I usually use!) but I just didn't have time in the end so its back to the boarding card bookmark for me
I like to get up really early when I'm here and just sit by the pool surfing the net and chillin' until everyone else surfaces - which they just did at around 9! Been catching up on my DT commenting and generally nosying around, though the laptop here in this house is ancient and takes ages to load anything up - so I've been knitting at the same time while I'm waiting for the pages to open - don't like to waste time!!

I know the weathers been great back in the UK - hope theres some left for me when I get home!   I'm sad to say that its a bit of a dull morning here - no Florida sunshine just yet I hear theres a tropical storm brewing somewhere - but Floridas not Florida without rain and it soon passes - besides the lightening can be spectacular!   Just off now to have a swim in the pool and then we're off to visit Mickey Mouse today at Disneys Hollywood Studios - Rockin Rollercoaster here I come - there the secrets out - I'm a secret rollercoaster junkie!!!

I'm being very good and keeping up with my DT comments so far but not much time for lots of visiting all of you while I'm here - but I'll be on a catch up of anyone I miss when I get home

I even had a quick look at challenge winners today and had a really good day in yesterdays challenges I won top 5 in the crafty cardmakers challenge and the Love to create challenge - life really doesn't get much better than this!!

Have a great day everyone - hope the sun's shining where you are

Big Florida hugs

Judith x

A little distressing

Good morning blog friends

Don't worry I'm not here to tell you a sad story to get distressed over - but we do need some distressing over at Creative Craft Challenges this week!!

We have the wonderful Lili of the Valley sponsoring this weeks challenge

 and so we want to see your projects on the theme 

Distressing

I had such problems making this card, had chosen the card paper and ribbon - even coloured the image but I just couldn't put it together for the life of me - and it certainly didn't start life as an easel card!
I messed on with it all day on and off - took the dog out for a walk, did some work, came back to it and eventually stuck it together and photographed it - but it still didn't look right -when I looked at it I had forgotten to do the shading with my prismas to give it a more distressed/vintage look, by then I was blending the black prisma pencils onto the mostly finished card - I'm amazed that it didn't end up in the bin!! As if that wasn't bad enough when I came to try to photograph it the second time I ended up chasing it round the garden!!  I like to take my photos outside if I can - but didn't think it was quite as windy as it was....

So these terrible photos were taken in my conservatory and I
 couldn't do any better so gave up and this is the best I got!

I decided to pick out the green, pink, blue and peach in the papers - more colours than I would normally use together and carried it through with the embellies so this card is not really me at all - I'm usually a two or three colour girl at the most.  The only thing i can say is it does actually work and looks better in real life than in these photos!!

This is what I did.....

Image - Lili of the Valley - Party girl
Coloured with copics and prismaclour pencils
Papers - First edition - spring feast
Sentiment Lili of the valley
Ribbon - Sam Pooles creative studios
Butterfly punches  Martha Stewart and papermania
Roses - dienamics dies with a pink dew drop inside
Green pearls - kaisercraft
Distress ink - Tim Holtz - tea die
Die cut circles - spellbinders
Die cut flower border and corner (used as leafy sprig) - Memory box

Challenges I am entering with this card

Crafty cardmakers - birthday with balloons
Ooh la la creations - ribbon or twine
Love to create challenge- Bingo - Ribbon /punches/flowers
Lilis little fairies - use your favourite craft tool (Grand Calibre die cutting machine)
Delightful challenges - Distressing
Willow Sketchie challenge  -handmade flowers

Well that about the end of my distressing tale!

See you all tomorrow

Hugs Judith xx

Guess who's been watching Tim Holtz today!!

Hello blog friends

I've been looking for a bit of inspiration to enter the Saturated Canary challenge which is anything but rectangle or square. I've had a couple of tries with circles but they just didn't look right - then I started to watch Tim Holtz on QVC today!! Out came my distress stuff and I was away - What an inspiration that man is!! I haven't done any full on distressing for a while and I really enjoyed myself

Close up of the detail

The stamp is from Saturated Canary and another of the new release called Honey. I coloured her with copics and prismacolor pencils and stuck on a couple of heart gems . The tag was cut with cricut wedding cartridge in kraft card and distresed with brushed corduroy distress ink then the top layer was cut from white card and I distressed again with the brushed corduroy. The diamond pattern stamp is from crafty individuals stamped with worn lipstick distress ink and some areas were embossed with worn lipstock disress embossing powder to add some texture. I then stamped with a selection of post stamps in fired brick and tea dye distress ink. Still needed some more distress - I was watching the master at work! - so painted the whole backgroung with crackle glaze. It took me a while to get the stamp image -which I had cut out - to blend in but eventually settled with a distress of both brushed corduroy and worn lipstick around the edges and that helped bring the whole thing together - phew.
I finished off with some ribbon from my stash that I distressed with tea dye ink and some buttons and a leaf diecut I already had cut out - think its from the cricut Cindy Loo cartridge but not certain, finally I finished off wth a couple of pins in the top.

I had forgotten how messy and how much fun this type of project can be - its something I think I'll do again soon.

I'm entering this tag for the following challenges

Saturated Canary challenge - anything but square or rectangle
One stop craft challenge - create your own background
Creative craft challenge - Bingo - ribbon/ pink/gems
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Include Kraft card on the card



Thats me for today

hugs

Judith